Graduates of North Side High School in Jackson, Tenn., receive their diplomas in May 2012. In Tennessee, 80 percent of freshmen stay in class and graduate as seniors, according to a report.

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Tennessee's high school graduation rate improved faster than those of other states as the nation finally showed promise of reaching the 90 percent diploma threshold, according to a report released today.

The hopes are now on the Class of 2020 - two decades later than 2000, the time President George H.W. Bush set for achieving the goal in his 1990 State of the Union address.

The report showed that the high school graduation rate has increased 6.5 percentage points since 2001, with average annual growth of 1.25 points between 2006 and 2010. Tennessee improved at about double the national rate ...